LG Smart TVs Accused of Audio Surveillance; Company Defends Features

South Korean electronics giant LG is refuting claims that its smart televisions record ambient conversations and store audio for later transmission. The company stated on Wednesday that voice data collection is restricted to instances where users actively engage the remote's voice button or use the "Hi LG" wake word, contingent on the activation of its Far-Field voice recognition feature. "Other than these instances, the TVs do not collect or record ambient conversations," an LG spokesperson told Al Jazeera, emphasizing that voice data processing occurs solely upon explicit user commands. The company further clarified that any audio not recognized by the wake word is immediately deleted.

These assertions come in response to a detailed investigative report published Monday by tech media outlet Gamers Nexus, in collaboration with Level1Techs and independent security researchers. The investigation scrutinized the data collection and security protocols of LG televisions, raising significant concerns about the handling of user privacy. The researchers analyzed network traffic and software, alleging that LG devices actively monitor users and gather extensive local network data, including audio transcripts.

According to Gamers Nexus, its researchers were able to capture audio from an LG television even while it was in a low-power state, or hibernation. The report suggests that even if the physical microphone switch on the TV is deactivated, other microphones, such as those in the remote control, might remain exposed. The investigation posited that there could be as many as "216,000,000 Spy TVs" in the U.S. alone, based on LG's reported global presence. LG states it has 49 million smart TVs in the U.S. and 216 million worldwide.

Privacy Concerns and Potential Risks

The research indicated that recorded background noise, detectable from as far as 40 feet away from the television, was also being archived. Yash Vekaria, a computer science researcher at the University of California, Davis, highlighted the critical importance of timely patching from LG, given that TVs often remain in homes for years, potentially beyond their official software support window. "This vulnerability can allow sniffing [of] much more critical conversations," Vekaria noted. He further elaborated on the potential implications, suggesting that sensitive discussions, such as those involving national security, could be compromised if occurring in a room with an affected LG TV.

The researchers also alleged that interactions with unclear sounds or unmatched wake-word attempts could be stored locally, transcribed, and retained on the device as plain text. This data could then be uploaded to LG servers if the local network connection is interrupted. Such information might reside in temporary storage spaces, known as buffers, without the user's awareness, Vekaria explained. He also pointed out that privacy risks are often exacerbated by poor design choices and selective disclosure of information. A more alarming threat, according to Vekaria, arises from a compromised device, which could be manipulated to execute any command within its hardware capabilities.

The investigation further claimed the discovery of text transcripts derived from audio captured by the television, persisting even after 10-15 seconds of silence following the activation of "Hi LG." These specific claims have not been independently verified by Al Jazeera. "It raises a question of purpose," Vekaria commented regarding the retention of audio data. "A voice command is only useful in real time, so audio queued for later upload is presumably being kept for something else, such as logging, analytics or model training. LG should explain what."

While Vekaria is not aware of any direct evidence linking ambient audio or transcripts to LG's advertising or profiling systems, he observed that LG operates an advertising business that leverages household data, including Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) tracking, which was also documented in the research. He noted that the TV's voice pipeline appears to capture and retain more data than users might anticipate. Nevertheless, Vekaria suggested that simpler explanations, such as diagnostics or speech recognition improvements, might be at play. "But even those involve keeping recordings from people’s homes without meaningful consent," he concluded.

Beyond audio, the researchers reported that the televisions scanned home networks for other devices, collecting information like internal IP addresses, nearby Wi-Fi networks, and location data. LG characterized this device scanning as a "standard" smart TV function, necessary for legitimate purposes such as screen casting, media sharing, and connecting to smart-home products like Amazon's Alexa. LG has maintained that ACR, voice recognition, and interest-based advertising are distinct features, each requiring explicit user opt-in consent and controllable via the TV's settings.

However, Anna Maria Mandalari, a lecturer in communications and networking at University College London, noted that the extent of data obtained through device discovery could include device names, manufacturers, and types, potentially revealing household composition and contributing to a broader user profile. LG's advertising division, LG Ad Solutions, has openly promoted its capacity to derive insights from connected households. Video presentations featured in the Gamers Nexus investigation showed LG representatives stating, "We know who is in the LG household," and "We know which devices are there." LG reiterated its commitment to transparency and denied engaging in deceptive practices.